Lany Chabot-Laroche: 6:50pm May 13, 2008: Where is that taken from? It seems a mix of bad French and ancien French. Also, what is the link with the Italian translation? Liza Tripp: 6:52pm May 13, 2008: nope - 16th century french:) - there is no italian, it is for a class in italian translation, but this project is french to english.
it is pure louise labe, but no accents - sorry US keyboard doesn't like to do that over the net.... Liza Tripp: 6:53pm May 13, 2008: also - should be "pourra face" - sorry typo! Liza Tripp: 7:09pm May 13, 2008: thanks liz... - that's helpful. I've been working with the Annie Finch translation but this was a tough one and the English didn't really seem to point to the French....
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 25 mins (2008-05-13 18:58:06 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
O longs desirs, ô esperances vaines,
Tristes soupirs et larmes coutumieres
A engendrer de moy maintes rivieres,
Dont mes deus yeus sont sources et fontaines:
O cruautez, ô durtez inhumaines,
Piteus regars des celestes lumieres:
Du coeur transi ô passions premieres,
Estimez vous croitre encore mes peines?
Qu'encor Amour su moy son arc essaie
Que nouveaus feus me gette et nouveaus dars:
Qu'il se despite, et pis qu'il pourra face:
Car je suis tant navree en toutes pars,
Que plus en moy une nouvelle plaie,
Pour m'empirer ne pourroit trouver place.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 25 mins (2008-05-13 18:58:25 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I am still looking. The refs may be irrelevant, but it helps me!
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 28 mins (2008-05-13 19:00:32 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Hi,
I have found the modern French equivalent to your verse ending in "pis qu'il pourra face"
Qu'Amour essaie encore son arc sur moi,
qu'il me jette de nouveaux feux et de nouvelles flèches,
qu'il se fâche, et qu'il fasse le pire qu'il pourra :
Let him get angry and let him do his worst
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 28 mins (2008-05-13 19:01:01 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
..
sorry
let love get angry and let love do its worst
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 29 mins (2008-05-13 19:01:31 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Here is the site where you have four verses in modern day French!
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 32 mins (2008-05-13 19:05:19 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
SONNET 3 by Louise Labé
Long-felt desires, hopes as long as vain—
sad sighs—slow tears accustomed to run sad
into as many rivers as two eyes can add,
pouring like fountains, endless as the rain—
cruelty beyond humanity, a pain
so hard it makes compassionate stars go mad
with pity: these are the first passions I’ve had.
Do you think love could root in my soul again?
If it arched the great bow back again at me,
licked me again with fire, and stabbed me deep
with the violent worst, as awful as before,
the wounds that cut me everywhere would keep
me shielded, so there would be no place free
for love. It covers me. It will pierce no more.
[First published in the Norton Anthology of World Poetry, 2000]
CLICK LINK BELOW FOR MORE POEMS:
More Poems by Labé
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 25 mins (2008-05-13 18:58:06 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
O longs desirs, ô esperances vaines,
Tristes soupirs et larmes coutumieres
A engendrer de moy maintes rivieres,
Dont mes deus yeus sont sources et fontaines:
O cruautez, ô durtez inhumaines,
Piteus regars des celestes lumieres:
Du coeur transi ô passions premieres,
Estimez vous croitre encore mes peines?
Qu'encor Amour su moy son arc essaie
Que nouveaus feus me gette et nouveaus dars:
Qu'il se despite, et pis qu'il pourra face:
Car je suis tant navree en toutes pars,
Que plus en moy une nouvelle plaie,
Pour m'empirer ne pourroit trouver place.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 25 mins (2008-05-13 18:58:25 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I am still looking. The refs may be irrelevant, but it helps me!
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 28 mins (2008-05-13 19:00:32 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Hi,
I have found the modern French equivalent to your verse ending in "pis qu'il pourra face"
Qu'Amour essaie encore son arc sur moi,
qu'il me jette de nouveaux feux et de nouvelles flèches,
qu'il se fâche, et qu'il fasse le pire qu'il pourra :
Let him get angry and let him do his worst
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 28 mins (2008-05-13 19:01:01 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
..
sorry
let love get angry and let love do its worst
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 29 mins (2008-05-13 19:01:31 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Here is the site where you have four verses in modern day French!
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 32 mins (2008-05-13 19:05:19 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
SONNET 3 by Louise Labé
Long-felt desires, hopes as long as vain—
sad sighs—slow tears accustomed to run sad
into as many rivers as two eyes can add,
pouring like fountains, endless as the rain—
cruelty beyond humanity, a pain
so hard it makes compassionate stars go mad
with pity: these are the first passions I’ve had.
Do you think love could root in my soul again?
If it arched the great bow back again at me,
licked me again with fire, and stabbed me deep
with the violent worst, as awful as before,
the wounds that cut me everywhere would keep
me shielded, so there would be no place free
for love. It covers me. It will pierce no more.
[First published in the Norton Anthology of World Poetry, 2000]
CLICK LINK BELOW FOR MORE POEMS:
More Poems by Labé
tous le vers: qu'il fasse le pire dont il est capable
Explanation: As far as I remember from old french classes, 'face' is just exactly equivalent to 'fasse', so that would me more or less the desired translation. But of course it's up to you to arrange it somehow better to fit the poem frames:)
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 57 mins (2008-05-13 19:29:45 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
well, you know that a damn good part of French language actually IS latin. Can't help it:)
Ewa Kondracka Poland Works in field Native speaker of: Polish
Notes to answerer
Asker: right - i was confused because there were two conjucated verbs together - that's why i thought "face" might not be "fasse" . I guess maybe it is a more latinate structure?
The translation workplace 
